Long Shadows
220px |author=Cherith Baldry |cover artist=Wayne McLoughlin |publish date=November 25, 2008 |isbn=0060892145 |editions=Hardcover Expected |summary=As doubt rocks the forest, Firestar's three grandchildren are determined to convince the Clans that their faith in StarClan and the warrior code is more important than ever-and each one must struggle with their own hopes and fears. At the same time, murderous rage lurks in the most unexpected of places, and one cat will reveal a breathtaking secret...}} Long Shadows is the name of the fifth addition to The Power of Three series. It is known that the cat on the cover is Sol, the mysterious tom introduced in Eclipse. Bookjacket Blurb The Clans are in turmoil. ShadowClan has turned their backs on StarClan and pledged to follow the dark predictions of Sol, the strange cat who predicted the solar eclipse. But not all the cats have lost faith in their warrior ancestors... Jaypaw is convinced that StarClan still holds an important place in the warrior code, but his search for answers leads him far back into the past of the Clans, farther back than even StarClan can remember. Lionblaze, tortured by violent dreams and bloody visions, wishes he had never been prophesied to be one of the three...but to turn his back on his denmates would be the ultimate betrayal. And Hollyleaf is terrified that once the Clans lose their faith, the warrior code will fall apart. She's willing to fight tooth and claw to preserve it--whatever the cost. In these turbulent and confusing times, claws are unsheathed, fangs are bared, and the dark undertake of the forest is revealed. And when murder stalks into the heart of ThunderClan, the cats realize that the darkest shadows don't always lie outside the territory.Long Shadows Search Inside Prologue It is revealed in the prologue that Midnight, the stargazing badger from "A New Prophecy", was the one that told Sol of the eclipse, and told him about clan ways. The founders of the clans, Thunder, River, Shadow, and Wind, are angry with Midnight for revealing the secrets of Clan life to a loner. Afterwards, when the founders disappear into mist, Rock appears out from behind some bushes, and agrees with Midnight that the clans are currently in trouble. Detailed Plot Summary Blackstar lets Sol lead ShadowClan, having given up on their Warrior ancestors. Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jaypaw go to spy, hiding in a tree and watching Littlecloud object to turning away from StarClan and be banned from visiting the Moonpool. They go back to camp troubled. Tawnypelt and her kits Flamepaw, Tigerpaw, and Dawnpaw are found coming back with a patrol later and it turns out they didn't want to be in ShadowClan if it meant that they couldn't believe in StarClan. Greencough breaks out and Millie and Briarkit (one of Millie's kits who were born the previous book) are the first victims, but it eventually strikes the majority of the Clan, even claiming one of Firestar's lives. Graystripe and the healthy kits, whom Daisy is feeding, are worried about Millie. While visiting the Moonpool, Raggedstar and Runningnose beg Jaypaw to help ShadowClan in any way. He comes up with the idea to create a fake sign from StarClan. He talks to Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Tawnypelt's kits and they all agree to pitch in and help create fake a sign from StarClan to get ShadowClan to get rid of Sol. Tigerpaw lures Littlecloud and Blackstar to the brink of ShadowClan territory while the others knock down three pine trees. Tigerpaw pretends to have been killed by one, and every cat there is surprised when Raggedstar and Runningnose come down, telling Blackstar and Littlecloud that Tigerpaw is safe but they must restore faith to StarClan. They agree and drive Sol out of the Clan. Tawnypelt, Tigerpaw, Flamepaw, and Dawnpaw return to ShadowClan. Hollyleaf still has a feeling that they have yet to see the last of Sol. Greencough continues to spread through the Clan. Firestar comes up with the idea to temporarily shelter the sick cats in the abandoned Twoleg nest, but soon loses a life. The Clan is dangerously short of catmint, but Jaypaw knows that there is a fresh supply in WindClan territory. He wanders in his dreams through the underground tunnels and finds Fallen Leaves. He ventures back to the time of Fallen Leaves' tribe as a young Sharpclaw called Jay's Wing. When he mentions the Clans and the herb horsetail, they think of him as crazy but he soon fits in and starts them on the journey to the mountains to become the Tribe of Rushing Water as he finds out. Right after they leave Rock tells him that he has done every thing he can. Jaypaw asks if the real Jay's Wing will be back now, but Rock says he disappeared at this time. Jaypaw is disappointed to leave Half Moon, a pretty she-cat who falls in love with him. When he returns to the Clans, he asks Lionblaze to fetch the catmint. Lionblaze refuses, but as the greencough gets worse, he finally goes. He meets Heatherpaw, the exact thing that he wished would not happen, who saw him stealing. She says she is now Heathertail. In hatred and anger,he nearly kills her.Lionblaze is now exrtemely worried that his murderous dreams will come true and he'll kill her against his control. When Lionblaze brings the catmint, everyone is healed and returns to the camp. Jaypaw and Leafpool go to the Moonpool and he receives the name of Jayfeather and the rank of a full medicine cat. Afterward, life is almost back to normal. Then, during a storm, the camp catches fire. Jayfeather, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Squirrelflight are trapped, but Squirrelflight makes it through the flames and drags a stick through in an attempt to save the kits, but needs some assistance. Ashfur heroically leaps in and drags it all the way through. Just as Lionblaze leaps on, though, Ashfur blocks the way. Squirrelflight begs him to let them through but he tells her that he never forgave her after she left him for Brambleclaw and reveals he was the one who helped Hawkfrost set the trap for Firestar, to show her the pain of losing a loved one as he had faced. He said that he will now kill Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather in another attempt to hurt her. Squirrelflight dryly says that he cannot hurt her that way because they are not her kits. She explains how she kept the secret from Brambleclaw and the whole of ThunderClan. Ashfur lets them live, but he threatens to tell her secret, and she is shocked that Ashfur would betray her like this. Hollyleaf and Lionblaze refuse to speak to her even when she says that she couldn't have loved kits of her own more, yet she refrains from telling them who their parents are, and they begin to doubt whether they really are the Three the prophecy speaks of. The fire fades away and all the cats get the camp set up. Three days before the Gathering, Ashfur asks Firestar if he can go. Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Squirrelflight are worried that he is doing it to publicly announce Squirrelflight's secret. Between then and the day of the Gathering, the three warn Ashfur that he will regret it if he reveals the secret. Although he is frightened, he refuses to listen to them. Right before the Gathering, the patrol of warriors going notices that both Ashfur and Squirrelflight are missing. Squirrelflight later shows up, wet and muddy, and explains that she was looking for herbs for Leafpool by the border neighboring ShadowClan and fell into the stream. They leave without Ashfur. On the way to the Gathering, they see Ashfur's body lying in the WindClan stream as if he had drowned. They take him back to camp and set him for vigil. Leafpool notices a slit in his neck, suggesting he was murdered. After the Gathering, Firestar announces that Ashfur's death was unknown and suspects a cat from ThunderClan may have been the murderer, but Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze see Squirrelflight looking scared and holding her breath. The three vow to keep the recent events involving them,Squirrelflight,and Ashfur a secret. There is speculation that Squirrelflight murdered Ashfur,and due to the events at the end of the book,it is probably true. See Also Allegiances Chapter-by-Chapter Notes Character List Book Cover Gallery References and Citations Category:Power of Three Series Category:Books Category:Long Shadows